Author: Mr. Hood

Heartiest congratulations to our Symphonic and Chamber orchestras for a maximally successful romp through UIL concert and sightreading competitions. Both groups garnered the highest-possible ratings from all six judges. These top marks represent incredible work and focus required by all of our orchestra students. This wouldn’t be possible without the outstanding support from our orchestra families, Killian community, and Lewisville ISD. Congratulations and thank you!

Judges’ Comments included:

Symphonic Orchestra:

“I am very impressed with your attention to detail and ensemble skills. I can tell you have been taught to listen to each other.”

“This [non-varsity concert] is an excellent performance by a talented group of musicians! You do not sound like a non-varsity group!”

“Your sound rings and fills the room… I can tell that you work on every rise and fall… You worked hard to have a polished performance, and it showed in your phrasing, tuning, attention to style- everything.”

“You have terrific fundamentals of musicianship and put them to good use.”

Chamber Orchestra:

“Your tone sounds like that of an older orchestra.”

“You know how to build a phrase and make a musical line lead to somewhere. Polished performance, I enjoyed it!”

In a nutshell, middle orchestra is the only class in middle school that offers students the opportunity to share mind with the great masters. For example, our chamber orchestra is learning a piece of George Frederic Handel’s Royal Fireworks this semester. As we learn and perform the piece, we share a part of the master’s musical mind– it’s like time travel to perform music from another age.

Handel composed this famous music in 1749, and it’s been a hit since its first performance (amid real fireworks, which caught the royal barge on fire in the Thames!). Handel couldn’t write his celebratory masterpiece for wind symphony in 1749 because that kind of ensemble hadn’t been invented yet– and wouldn’t be for about 200 more years.

Handel did write wonderful choral music, which is generally very difficult and performed by higher-level ensembles than middle school choirs. Likewise in theater and literature: Shakespeare, Milton, & Donne wait for high schoolers; Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Virgil, Tacitus require translation.

It is solely in orchestra where middle schooler’s first may participate in the music and mind of the great masters.

Please consider joining Killian’s orchestra next year. Instrument fitting and orchestra open house is Saturday, March 2, from 10AM to 2PM. Sign up for a time-slot here.

When: Saturday, August 11, 9AM, in the orchestra room at Killian (enter at door #18 on the north side of the building)

Why: Let’s meet, greet, and get comfortable in the space where we challenge our new students from the first day of school to build high level rehearsal and musical skills. Orchestra has many social, educational, calendar, paperwork, and monetary facets. Let’s learn all about them. My priority is to get to know all of your and answer every question you can think of.

Can I help? Yes. Please bring a treat listed in this link (not active quite yet).